Valve for boiler-feeders



n. 639,176. Y y Patented nec. n, Ism. s. n. Fono.

VALVE F08 BUILER FEEDERS.

, (Anus-sion am my s4, 1901.)

(l0 Vlndel.)

Ill)

UNITED STATES GEORGE RUFEUS FORD, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

VALVE FOR BOILERFEEDERS.

VPATENT OFFICE.

SPECIFICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 689,176, dated December17, 1901. Application iled May 24,41901. Serial No. 61,701. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

l Beit known that I, GEORGE RUEEUS FORD, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Valves forBoiler-Feeders, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accom# panying drawings, formingpart of this specilication.

My invention relates to an improvement in valves particularly welladapted for use (although they may be used for other purposes) inconnection with steam-boilers for regulating the passage of steam fromthe boiler to the feed-water pump, the valve being located within theboiler, so that it may be operated by a iloat, and therefore subjectedto the action of lime and other elements which would cause it to stickand become inoperative were it not for the manner in which it isconstructed and allowed to operate.

My invent-ion consists in features of novelty hereinafter fullydescribed, and pointed out in the claim.

Figure I is a perspective View illustrative of my invention and showingthe valve applied to a steam-boiler. Fig. Il is a vertical longitudinalsection of the device. Eig. III is a vertical transverse section.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a steam-boiler, 2 a feedwaterpump, and 3 a steam-pipe leading froml the boiler to the pump to effectthe operation of the latter.

5 is the valve to which my invention relates and which is opened andclosed automatically through means of a float 6 as the water falls andrises. The valve consists of a housing 7, having a cylindrical bore 8and a passage 9, leading from the bore 8 to the pipe 3. Closely fittingwithin the bore 8 is a hollow barrel 10, to which the stem of the floatris connected, the stem tting in a slot 11,

formed in the housing. The barrel is open at both ends, and on one sideof its central portion is a slot l2, so that when the barrel is turnedto cause the slot to register with the opening 9 steam will pass throughthe openended barrel into the pipe 3 to the pump 2. As the water entersthe boiler it raises the float 6,wl1ich causes the barrel 10 fco beturned to move the slot l2 away from the opening 9, thus shutting oi thepassage of steam to the pump.

By making the barrel 10 with open ends, so that steam can pass in bothdirections into the barrel, the latter is evenly balanced, andexperience has demonstrated that when thus formed it is not liable tostick, but works freely at all times.

I claim as my invention- In a valve, the combination with a housing'having a cylindrical bore extending entirely GEORGE RUFFUS FORD.

In presence of E. S. KNIGHT, N. V. ALEXANDER.

